Parents thought that play enables their children to respond and interact with them as well as other people around them. Many parents said they play with their children almost every day though it is not always interesting when they are tired from work, but it is important for the children development. They commented that children like it when parents play with them as they are seen as their favorite playmates. There are some activities that children take part in to improve their social development.
Role play is a good activity where a child plays within a group and takes on other’s roles. When playing ‘mums’ and ‘dads’ games with friends, he or she pretends to play a role of everyday family. Physical development of a child was known to take place through activities like painting and drawing which helps them in their manipulative skills because of the nature o f movement in the activities. Construction of large toys helps developing their muscles through stretching, carrying, balancing and lifting. Most children had toys which parents thought are the best tools for learning.Math skills are developed through block play and things of different shapes and sizes.
Thinking skills are developed through pop-up toys and learning how those toys work, their cause and effect. Playing ball uses muscles and enables them to have body control. Communication, problem-solving, and cooperation skills are developed through dramatic plays with friends. Writing skills were known to be developed through drawing with crayons (Dockett & Fleer, 2003).
Parents views and contemporary theoretical perspective on playParents views and perspectives on child play supports contemporary theoretical perspective on play which explains that children are not just having fun when playing but also developing social, language and cognitive skills (Fleer et al 2009). Hervert Spenser with her unemployed energy theory advocates childhood playing to imitate an activity. Karl Groos argued in his capacity development theory that play is preparing for life as children get an opportunity to display skills that they will need in adulthood like fighting and sex.Other scientists theorized that play stimulates language development in children in that they apply names to objects they imagine or encounter as they communicate with peers and play in groups, thus, speeding vocabulary improvement and language acquisition process. Social competence theory explains that children are able to identify themselves with others when playing on their own and with peers and develop sense of empathy. Children begin to understand social situations and relationships, become more communal and enables them form friendship and trust.
Sigmund Freud in his repetition compulsion theory argues that repetition in play or reply enables children to seek out sensations that are pleasurable and avoid painful ones (Spodek & Saracho, 1998). Lev Vygotsky on the other hand argued that play enabled cognitive development in children. He explains that children rehearsed future adulthood accomplishments through play. Barnet argued that play reduced anxiety and stress levels dramatically in preschool children.
It was then theorized that play stabilized emotional health in children, giving them space to calm themselves and relax ((Forbes, 2004).Parents’ perspective on their childhood play A survey done on parents’ childhood play experience shows that parents see plays as fundamental and instinctive to their existence. Many of them had played several games in their childhood like ‘mum and dad’, ‘teacher and student’, taxi driver and passenger’, painting and drawing, and many more which they played with their friends. Their parents also joined them in their play sometimes in games like hide and seek, drawings, singing, dancing and reciting numbers and letters.Playing with their parents made them feel loved, cared for and belonged to, and grew up with an aim of being like their parents (Forbes, 2004). They thought play was very important to them as it helped them thrive and survive by connecting to other people around them.
Play was also a source of energy and excitement within themselves and a source of relaxation and calmness, and a source of body and brain stimulation. Play enabled them to be smart, happy, inventive, resilient and flexible. As a lifelong benefit, parents said that play taught them perseverance as a reward of mastering and learning a new game.Perseverance as a healthy adulthood trait that is necessary is largely learnt through play. Where there is perseverance violence is rarely found there. Play also made them happy by finding joy and thus preserving and nourishing their hearts.
Play taught them to share fun, laughter and joy with others which strengthens and promotes bonding as a feeling of community. It enables them to develop intimacy capacity, compassion, empathy and trust through play. They were also able to learn, be flexible and creative through play, by stimulating their imaginations and helping them to adapt and solve problems coming along.Play aroused their creativity, discovery and curiosity, pretense, novelty, social etiquette and so on, as learning components. Through play, they were also able to avoid depression, loneliness, anxiety and isolation. Endorphins mix that lifts individuals’ spirit and distractions is triggered through play which prevents fear, pain, and anxiety.
When they played with other people, strangers and friends, they were reminded that they were not alone and were able to connect to others in meaningful and delightful ways.Many parents support the fact that play enabled them build and keep relationships with others. It developed and improved their social skills by discovering teamwork and cooperation, boundaries and freedom, danger and safety, body language and verbal communication. Play has also taught them how to cooperate with others through playing nicely with others in order to work together, socialize in groups and agree on rules mutually. Above all, mutual play enabled them to heal their emotional wounds.
As they played together as children they engaged in same behavior pattern that shaped their brain positively which replaced negative behaviors and believes, thus providing a safe and joyous context for their relationship development (Fleer, 2008). Beside the above benefits, play has played an important role in the parents’ lives in terms of relationships with their children and those around them. They understand their children better and know the importance of play to their children and encourage play to be part of their lives for their own development (Forbes 2004).
